220 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



and drop their young. The young males 

 lose their horns about the same time with 

 the females, or a little earlier, some of them 

 as early as April. The hair of the rein- 

 deer falls in July, and is succeeded by a 

 short thick coat of mingled clove, deep red- 

 dish, and yellowish browns ; the belly and 

 under parts of the neck, &c. remaining 

 white. As the winter approaches, the hair 

 becomes longer, and lighter in its colours, 

 and it begins to loosen in May, being then 

 much worn on the sides, from the animal 

 rubbing itself against trees and stones. It 

 becomes grayish and almost white before it 

 is completely shed. The Indians form their 

 robes of the skins procured in autumn, 

 when the hair is short. Towards the spring 

 the larvae of the oestrus attaining a large 

 size, produce so many perforations in the 

 skins, that they are good for nothing. The 

 cicatrices only of these holes are to be seen 

 in August, but a fresh set of ova have in 

 the mean time been deposited.* 



* " It is worthy of remark, that in the month of 

 May a very great number of large larvae exist under 



